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MUPH Pres. Jonas Gaffud (left) and MUPH EVP Voltaire Tayag (right) welcome Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig (center) and the continental queens (from left) Matilda Wirtavuori, Chidimma Adetshina, and Tatiana Calmell, together with Filipino queen Chelse Manalo.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Aside from the preliminary competition, Manalo will also be bringing her sisters along to the national pageant's coronation night, where she will be crowning her successor
MANILA, Philippines – Miss Universe Philippines Chelsea Manalo is excited to finally be able to show her pageant sisters her home country, and experience for themselves the warm hospitality that Filipinos are known for.
The Bulakenya beauty flew to Manila with her fellow “continental queens” Tatiana Calmell, Chidimma Adetshina, and Matilda Wirtavuori, and the reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig.
Manalo was proclaimed as the first-ever Miss Universe Asia after the international competition held in Mexico last year. Calmell from Peru was Miss Universe Americas. Adetshina from Nigeria was Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, while Wirtavuori from Finland was Miss Universe Europe and the Middle East.
The continental queens reunited with Theilvig in Bangkok, Thailand, before flying to the Philippines for the second leg of their tour as a group. The five of them arrived in Manila on the evening of April 26, then appeared in a press conference held at the Glass Ballroom of Okada Manila in Parañaque City the morning after.
“We are all so excited. My sisters and, of course, the Miss Universe Organization [are] here with us, gracing us this morning. I hope you all have a wonderful time,” Manalo said.
This is Theilvig’s second trip to the Philippines, having visited the country last month, and the Danish beauty said she was looking forward to returning to Manila.
“I love the Filipino people. The food here is amazing, the culture. Everything about the Philippines is just so warm and welcoming. So, I’m just so happy to be back here. And thank you for having me here and hosting me with warm open arms,” she said.
Calmell, who was Manalo’s roommate and closest friend in the pageant in Mexico, said she has been excited for this trip. “It was a dream. So now that we are finally here, it feels so surreal. We are all so grateful for the organization for having us here,” she said.
For Adetshina, it is an “honor” to visit the Philippines. “I’m so grateful to stand before you, guys, and just give you guys a really good welcome, as well, just as we received an amazing welcome from each and every one of you,” she said.
Wirtavuori expressed her gratitude to those who made the trip possible. “I just want to say maraming salamat (thank you), Mama J (MUPH President Jonas Gaffud), Sir V (MUPH EVP Voltaire Tayag), the whole Miss Universe Philippines team for bringing us here. Mahal kita (I love you),” she said.
Manalo revealed that she and her sisters have a packed calendar while in Manila. “We will let them experience the warmth and how [pageantry] is like here in the Philippines,” she declared.
She will tag her sisters along to the 2025 Miss Universe Philippines coronation ceremonies where she will be crowning her successor. “They will be there to see how amazing the crowds are, the Filipino pageant fans are, how beautiful and kind we are,” Manalo said.
The outgoing Filipino queen also said that her work will not end even after she has relinquished her crown to the new titleholder. “There are so many people who rely on you, and see the impact that you do, the power that you do. So, for me, really, the job that you do as a Miss Universe is about the person that you are,” she said.
“After I pass my crown, I hope that I can still continue working with different people, the organization that really is close to my heart. Some of them have been through the Miss Universe Philippines, that I am grateful for because it is an opening, a door for yourself,” Manalo continued.
She will be hosting the national pageant’s preliminary competition at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay City on April 28, with Theilvig and the rest of the continental queens expected to make an appearance.
The five ladies will also be the special guests at the Miss Universe Philippines Charity Gala Night at the Grand Ballroom of Okada Manila on April 30. The event’s proceeds will go to Caritas Manila and Hope for Change.
The Miss Universe Philippines 2025 finale will take place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on May 2. Sixty-six women are competing to succeed Manalo. – Rappler.com
